General Games Discussion

Y'all old with your games FFS. Fortnite or nothing bruvs.

danyjr wrote:Fortnite or nothing bruvs.

I'm never touching that

I was joking. Fucking hate that shit. But still, Gothic is oooold.

Myesyats wrote:

Harmonica wrote:Less than month to ELEX 2.

Nothing beats Gothic 2

That reminds me The Chronicles of Myrtana Archolos just released on Steam. It's free to owners of Gothic 2 and it's a full conversion mod with 60 hours of game play.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1467450/The_Chronicles_Of_Myrtana_Archolos/

Thats looks awesome. Sadly i don't own Gothic now / rarely ever use steam either since i don't even have a PC and my laptop isnt capable of running most games aside from gothic. I didnt think of that aspect when buying it, in my head I thought i'd only game on my Playstation

Yesss dude, i managed to get it from a totally legal source

Dude your PC must have more trojans than the city of Troy

It's a trusted source, a closed community so it's rather safe

Lolz.

why?

Why they pic? Paid reviews. Don't know why users hate it though.

Yea why the user score is so bad

On Steam it is 'Highly Positive' so I'm not sure why their Meta score is so low.

What I've gathered from finnish boards, most complains are story is shit and parkour clunky. It seems to be parsed from already finished pieces together. Which doesn't surprise anybody in todays game development. If you aren't indie dev, you will first try to make money, then the game.

ATTENTION PC PLAYERS: We are retiring the Bethesda Launcher and moving to Steam.

Here’s everything you’re going to want to know about what to expect and how to migrate your Bethesda Library to Steam: https://t.co/KBBokFeZkt pic.twitter.com/f0KWBqd0kp

— Bethesda (@bethesda) February 22, 2022

Something good in gaming, fucking one less launcher.

Tbh their launcher never really took off. They tried to force people in using it for Fallout 76 and that turned out to be a huge failure so they released everything on Steam thereafter anyway.

Besides Microsoft are on Steam now, so it makes sense that they will bring Bethesda to Steam. Hopefully we can expect the same with Activision/Blizzard games in the future.

Only EPIG and Ubisoft left.

#A47

Game: Skullmonkeys:-
Year: 1998.
Genre: Platformer.
Publisher: Electronic Arts.
Developer: The Neverhood, Inc.




The onset of 3D graphics in the 5th generation led industry leaders in animation, such as DreamWorks, to gravitate towards making videogames. Some of those games, like Skullmonkeys, were visual and graphical masterpieces that still hold up today.

However, other than with its brilliant clay aesthetic and animations, the game is not a particularly engaging platformer at all. You are probably better served watching many of the brilliant claymation movies of the 90s instead.

"The wicker Kloggmoneky has got my people working on a deadly weapon called Evil Engine Number 9. He is going to use it to blow up the Neverhood"

The game starts with a visually impressive claymation CGI scene, where the evil Klogg disguises himself as one of the Skullmonkeys and starts commanding the idiots to build an evil death machine. One of the smarter Skullmonkeys sends a message to the hero of the game, Klaymen, to save the day.

Between each "world" in the game, another claymation CGI scene advances the story, or more commonly, is used to provide some humorous take. While the humor is almost always focused on gross-out or slap-stick humor, it is well-done enough to be really appreciated.

The closest parallel game in its style that I can think of is the Earthwork Jim series, but it doesn't have the absurdist look and consistent satirical take as that game. Klaymen is an expressive protagonist, especially with his multitude of funny animations, but the entire game's world doesn't differentiate itself from anything else other than being made of clay.

Luckily, the clay aesthetic does do a good deal of the heavy lifting towards making a world that you may care about. At least, I know that I had a blast watching all those claymation shorts.

"My people are too smart to make him a leader"

In order to see the great cutscenes, you will first have to go through each level, and that's where the game's problems begin. Simply put, it's just a rather basic and boring platformer at its core.

Mechanically, Klaymen moves fine, but with a little annoying imprecision in his movements. He can jump on top of enemies to defeat them, gaining a little jump boost in the process. Running is an option, which increases your jump's height and length. Other than jumping on top of enemies, Kleyman also has access to projectile resources which he can use to shoot at enemies.

So, while the controls are fine and there seem to be the tools to make an interesting platformer, the level design is extremely poor. Take this section as an example: a rotating platform is far enough that you need to estimate when to jump to reach it, and once you do so, there is another rotating platform after it with the same speed and timing, and then another, and then another. For six or seven straight jumps, you are making the same exact move, and that situation repeats all over the game.

Levels are built with no rhyme or reason. Obstacles are copy-pasted between levels or repeated without variety within the same level, enemies are placed in weird locations, and there is no really need to use any of your tools for the majority of the game.

In theory, each level has an upper and lower path to the end goal, but the design is so indistinctive that you could sleep fall into the lower path and not know the difference. This issue repeats across all levels, as they feel little different other than through their backgrounds.

Even the bonus stages prove to be incredibly boring, but not as boring as the repetitive and shallow bosses you occasionally fight. What adds to the frustration of boredom is the limited health hit points you have, which given some of the game's imprecisions, makes it harder than it has any right to be.

"Here is a little bonus room cause I know you had it tough, and here is a little bonus tune about collecting really cool stuff"

With its DreamWorks pedigree, and as can be seen from the excellent claymation CGI scenes, the game's production in graphics and sound is top-notch.

In line with its claymation movies scenes, the game's polygonal graphics are crafted t appear like they are made of clay and that illusion works wonderfully, at least when it comes to the characters. They move and animate fluidly, in line with their supposed substance. Even Klaymen's idle animating is crafted with care and a focus on humor.

However, the game's backgrounds and platforms are not built with the same purpose in mind, with an aesthetic that is too dark and grungy for most of the game, only occasionally beaming with personality like in the snow levels.

A similar take can be made regarding the game's soundtrack, which has a brilliant and unique soundscape but it repeats too often. At least, I felt the repetition more given the length and boring repetitive nature of each level.

The production highlights remain the game's amazing CGI scenes, which showcases expertise in claymation that isn't diluted by the console's specifications at all. In fact, that same design sensibility does show in the animation of the main character throughout the game.

In Conclusion:

Skullmonekys is a game crafted with its clay aesthetic in mind, and it absolutely nails that with its expert CGI scenes between each level and the in-game graphics and animations as well. It even manages to have a decent story and an interesting world made of clay.

Unfortunately, the clay is only half-baked when it comes to its gameplay, especially in its extremely boring and basic level design, which fails to differentiate it from the most average of Platforming games in a very crowded genre.

Final: 5/10

Pros:

• Great claymation CGI scenes
  
• The clay graphics translate really well in-game
  
• A nice and unique soundtrack
  

Cons:

• Extremely boring level design
  
• Some imprecision in platforming creates unnecessary difficulties.
  
• Background graphics are mostly too dark
  
• The gameplay becomes really dull really quick
  

"Tips"
1-You can go inside some walls to get some secrets.
2-Collecting icons unlock bonus stages where you can get lives and resources.
3-Jumping near the head of an enemy will count as jumping in top of them.
4-Jumping after running will lead to a higher and longer jump.
5-Collect 100 clay balls to get a life.



"Next Game"

I would have probably forgiven SkullMonkeys shortcomings more as a kid given its visual charms. However, with decades of Platforming experience under my belt, I can only grade it as a mediocre platformer with an interesting aesthetic.

Hopefully, the next game I am reviewing, MediEvil II proves to be a 3D Action Platformer game with more substance. I am skipping a review of the first MediEvil game because it had a rather faithful remake (to its detriment) in 2019.

Stay Tuned

Skullmonkeys! The sequel (or prequel?) to my first PC game: Neverhood. I had such an obsession to play Skullmonkeys but never could because I didn't own a console.

After a decade returned to Gothic 2 Notr and it's still probably the best rpg ever made. My 60 hour min-maxed Paladin before the end boss.


Gothic 1 is the mother of modern 3D openworld rpg, but in Gothic 2 they mastered it all and it's better in every way. It's amazing how this had modern mechanics in 2001. True 3D, true open world, no loadscreens (couple), primitive physics model, reactive fighting mechanics, daily NPC-routines ja c&c guests. Bethesda only got equal fighting mechanics in Oblivion 2006, daily routines in Skyrim 2011 and full voice acting in FO4 2015. Hopefully they can finally stream the whole game world in Starfield 2022. Only thing negative in Gothic 2 Notr I would say is, it's very hard game. It requires min-maxing and metaknowledge, but with that the end can get too easy.

Used Gothic 2 Gold Remaster textures, normal maps and DX11 shaders. 3070 ran the game smoothly 120fps 5120x1440.





Now I can try Archolos.

This game is a work of art

#A45

Game: MediEvil 2:-
Year: 2000.
Genre: Action-Adventure.
Publisher: Sony (SCE).
Developer: SCE Cambridge Studio.




Of the many mascot characters that Sony attempted to craft for their PlayStation brand, none wore that particular role with less grace than Sir Daniel Fortesque of the MediEvil series. That's not to say that his games were bad, but that a suit of armor with a one-eyed skull for a face is not something that usually sells a brand.

However, the competent 3D Action gameplay of the first game did showcase the console's capabilities, and the first game had enough charm and personality to commission a second game to advance the formula. While it's undoubtedly true that the sequel does fix many of the issues of the first game, the result is still a game with awkward pace, terrible combat, and little to recommend it other than its unique zombie charm.

"Sir Daniel Fortesque, back from the dead once again. The great hero of Gallowmere reduced to a dusty relic at the back of the old museum"

The game starts with a magical event that animates the dead of Victorian London, which fortuitously includes Sir Daniel, the hero who should uncover the secrets of this black magic event and put things to right. In that quest, Sir Dan meets a friendly ghost friend who moonlights as a tutorial, a professor-type with typical English traits, and the reanimated corpse of an Egyptian mummy which is inexplicably blue and sexy.

At this stage in gaming, most games in most genres required a semblance of a story to accompany the action, and MediEvil II neither bucks that trend nor improves on it in any way. This is a competent story with solid voice acting that is augmented by the game's zombie-inspired humor.

One thing to note is that the decision to use Victorian England as a setting should be brilliant, but the locations are boring and non-descript that it rarely features at all. If not for the English VA and the occasional cockney accent, this could be 19th century New York.

In a way, the style of this game isn't much different from the mid 90's style of cartoons with a focus on gross-out humor and some weird visual styles. Shows like Dexter and Courage the Cowardly Dog, which I feel were of the same cultural zeitgeist as games like Earthworm Joe and Skullmonkeys.

"Every dead soul in London is walking the streets, and a host of demons have arrived to plague us"

After Sir Dan wakes up from his long rest in the museum's crypt, he immediately springs to action with nothing but his own arm as a weapon. Not to worry, he soon finds a sword and pistol to use against the evil army of the dead (excluding himself and his allies).

The main gameplay element is its hack-and-slash combat, which is interspersed with the occasional puzzle or platforming section. All of these elements are basic, tedious, and just plain un-fun.

Combat is a messy affair regardless of whether you use your melee or ranged weapon, and that's basically due to the enemies' inability to flinch and a significant lack of invisibility frames. Instead, they will keep hacking at you, with your only means of defense being a consumable shield. Soon, you will realize the best way to survive is to frantically run around while blandly hitting the attack button or use the charged area-of-effect moves that are available with weapons you acquire later.

Speaking of acquiring weapons, that's something you can do by collecting chalices in every level, which you do by killing enough enemies to fill the chalice and then look for it somewhere on the stage.

Other than some slight visual variations, these stages are uniformly boring and are only distinguished by how bad their platforming or puzzle sections are. Admittedly, one great idea in the game is the smart use of Sir Dan's skull. You can detach it after a certain point in the game and use it for reconnaissance to help solve some puzzles.

Thankfully, that level of intelligent design carried over to the game's bosses, but they do grow a bit tedious due to their overlarge health. Which, along with the slightly erratic camera is the main constant in MediEvil II's gameplay.

"Try the hammer of Thor. You are sure to have a smashing time"

Like with its basic but unique world and character design, the production of this game can only be described s quite competent. The 3D graphics are acceptable, and the art direction is consistent throughout, with clear and fluid animations that are exaggerated both for effect and to conserve in technical work.

I just find it hard to see the potential in Sir Daniel Fortesque's world, and other than the novelty of controlling an undead character with many uses of his own skull, I am not sure this is a series that had any legs to go beyond the initial joke.

Anyways, that didn't affect the graphics department, which did their level best at the technical aspect of designing the game's world and characters, who unfortunately grow stale and indistinguishable as the game goes on despite always being competently made.

The same level of sameness and competency can be said about the game's soundtrack, which runs the gamut from spooky fun Holloween themes to medieval-inspired heroic tunes with a twinkle of fun. It's all competent, but extremely expected, and frankly nondescript.

In Conclusion:

A lot of people liked, and still like MediEvil and its sequel. They might be seeing something in the game that I am not seeing because all I can see is a mediocre Action-Adventure game with an interesting but poorly realized world and characters.

Then again, the poor reception of the first game's remake may just suggestion that this is just people's nostalgia speaking, and not the game's hidden quality.

Final: 4/10

Pros:

• Interesting main premise and character
  
• The 3D graphics, voice acting, and soundtrack are competent
  

Cons:

• Extremely boring level design
  
• Combat is tedious and poorly designed
  
• Occassionally erratic camera makes platforming sections a chore
  
• The gameplay becomes really dull really quick
  

"Tips"
1-Double tap the directional button to dash.
2-Press triangle during a dash for a daring dash.
3-Kill enough enemies in each level to unlock the chalice, which will give you more weapons to use if you find them.
4-Back up often to health fountain to heal
5-Note that health fountains can deplete
6-Best mode of fighting is flailing like an idiot while hitting your enemies with an AOE shockwave attack


"Next Game"

I remember not having a very great time with MediEvil or its sequel as a kid, and I thought it was due to its difficulty. Now I know that it is just not a very good game.

After playing two mediocre games in a row, I am afraid of striking with a third, and Shadow Madness as the next game in the unranked addendum list is a sketchy case. It's a JRPG made by a Western studio without much pedigree, but one that did make a couple of interesting and well-loved games. Here is hoping for a good time.

Stay Tuned

Playing Triangle Strategy on switch. I'm around 6 hours in.

If anyone likes tactics rpgs then I highly recommend getting this. I'm only at the beginning but so far it seems like it will be excellent.

rincon wrote:Playing Triangle Strategy on switch. I'm around 6 hours in.

If anyone likes tactics rpgs then I highly recommend getting this. I'm only at the beginning but so far it seems like it will be excellent.

Isn't it a bit like Octopath Traveller?

danyjr wrote:

rincon wrote:Playing Triangle Strategy on switch. I'm around 6 hours in.

If anyone likes tactics rpgs then I highly recommend getting this. I'm only at the beginning but so far it seems like it will be excellent.

Isn't it a bit like Octopath Traveller?

The art style is. It's what Square calls HD 2D. Beautiful style, works great for this kind of game imo.

Octopath is a turn based JRPG, classic style.

Triangle Strategy is a tactics rpg. If you ever played final fantasy tactics then think of that. Or Disgaea, Fire Emblem, etc. Grid based combat, where you lay out your party, lots of mechanics to make a deep combat system. Much more difficult than usual JRPGs since combat is the main draw and enemy parties are built up with the same kind of mechanics that you have access to.

This one is much more story heavy and instead of having a job system like FFT it focuses on specialising each character, you get to choose your party for each battle made up of the characters you prefer.

A lot about choices, there is heavy emphasis on your actions affecting the game. I'm only starting so I can't say how "real" the impacts of your choices will be, but so far the first big choice totally changed a chapter. Where you go and what you learn would be totally different in this case. It looks like you can also change which characters join your party, leave your party, maybe saving/letting someone die, etc.

Excellent so far. There is a demo of the prologue. The prologue is the slowest and more boring part but it gives a feeling for the game.

Other than combat it looks great, i'm cautiously optimistic.

Looks fantastic, my main concern of the combat is the AI looked very your turn my turn.

I'm hoping that was done to show off the game, fingers crossed.

But even if it isn't there seems to be a lot going on which i can i have fun with.